Why Justin Bieber is my hockey hero today

Well, he met it again, actually. In June 2010, the Biebs held – MY GAWD, HELD! – the Stanley Cup at “The Today Show” and no one really cared because that was back when he was an adorable pop tart instead of being Vanilla Ice auditioning for an N.W.A. tribute band.

So now he touches the Cup and baby (baby baby oooh baby) is there a backlash. Mashable claims the image above fueled Internet rage from hockey fans that simply don’t have the technological acumen to do a cursory Internet search and discover Bieber is actually a hockey fan and player, which is something 99.9 percent of celebrities photographed with the Cup can’t say.

But there’s another image of Bieber in the Chicago Blackhawks’ locker room that’s fueling rage, and it’s not the one of his personalized Bieber jersey, which by the way is not a Jersey Foul because it was given to him by the team.

Yes, that’s Justin Bieber stepping on the Blackhawks logo in the middle of their dressing room while snapping an image of the Cup. That’s Justin Bieber’s designer sneakers, standing firmly on the first and second feather. That’s Justin Bieber, committed to using the Indian as a floor mat.

And we're happy that he did.

Why? BECAUSE NHL TEAMS CONTINUE TO PUT THEIR LOGOS ON THE FLOOR AND EXPECT THEM NOT TO BE STEPPED ON.

For anyone that’s never been in the locker room, here’s the deal: You don’t step on the logo. It's a sign of alleged disrespect. If you do, a player or a PR flack or some other person in need of a hobby will bark at you to walk around it or stand someplace else.

In some places, the logo is actually roped off when the media are swarming the players, like a crime scene. In most cases, there’s a team intern stationed at the logo at all times to protect it, which seriously detracts from their other duties for the team: Doing nothing and getting hit on.

Alas, it’s the summer: Nary an intern sentry to be found. So Justin Bieber is free to plant his lanky frame right on the chief’s noggin.

Again, I’m happy he did. It’s a stupid tradition. “Hey, let’s put a giant thing in the middle of a high-traffic area and not allow people to touch it.” Dummies.